De-cluttering Through Consumption

My friend G.’s at Dandelion Garden blogged about how happy she was that she was using up wrapping and shipping supplies that she had on hand rather than buying new ones — which she might otherwise have been prone to do. I totally know what she’s talking about!

Lately I’ve taken to using up the many little bottles of lotion that I’ve had. (A giant pregnant belly takes a TON of moisturizer.) And I wonder, what was I saving all these for? Don’t we all have those little consumables that we save for some untold emergency? Whether it be packets of soy sauce, “fancy” soaps that gather dust for years, or hotel shampoos we felt compelled to take home with us as a keepsake.

Now, the greener approach is to consume in a responsible way that wouldn’t create a ton of little plastic containers — i.e., buying in bulk. But these are remnants of years past or gifts that I’ve received from others. Be that as it may, in these troubled economic times, people could realize some modest savings in just using up what they have and gain a lot of satisfaction out of de-cluttering along the way.